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Eline and Ismena walked the footpath that leads back to their home, carrying the small nylon bag of the things they bought.

The voices of children playing filled the air, the ones in their animal forms were barking, howling, and growling. It is a scene full of life, Ismena reveled in it.

"This place is the Heart of Naturiah like you said right?" Ismena asked, allowing her eyes to swallow her environment.

"Mmh. The border that separated the werewolf clan and the mountain lion clan met somewhere around here. So, any changeling can put down roots here, it doesn't matter your clan, no one cares. Here, is a mixture of all sorts of changelings."

"Aah, I understand."

"Yeah. As you already found out, our Alpha King lives here. His tower is not far from this side of town."

"Can you tell me about him? The Alpha King?" Unconsciously, her leg kicked a stone away from her path, "Which clan is he from?"

"The Alpha King? Obviously, he is from the werewolf clan. They're the ruling clan now. His father, the late Alpha King, is a strong werewolf mated to his mother who's from my clan...the mountain lion clan."

"Yes, he told me all about that. And the war his grandparents fought for the throne of Naturiah."

"Wow. I'm surprised he told you. Our Alpha King is very tight-lipped about things like that."

"Well, we were taking a walk six days ago, so..." Ismena lifted her shoulder and let it fall.

They continued walking, Eline smiled and waved at every little child that beamed at her as they passed. With time, Ismena did the same because the children always extended their smiles to her. She has come to get used to the friendliness of these children, their innocent gestures always tug at her heartstrings.

"Our Alpha King is unique, you know. Most of us refer to him as god because of how extraordinary he is." Eline continued, "He is the only changeling in Naturiah to have two beastly forms inside him in thousands of years.."

"Two beastly forms? I don't understand."

"So many changelings over the years have found their mates in the most unusual form. I've seen a snake-shifter mated to a rat." A smile touched her lips, "Trust me, that is very unusual, but then again, what matters is the joyous fact that you found your mate. But then again, their offspringmusttake on one DNA. Either a rat or a snake."

"Aah, I think I understand. So, even if a mountain lion mates a werewolf, each of their children are born either being a mountain lion or a werewolf?"

"Exactly. The first child might be a wolf, the second child might be a cougar, and stuffs like that."

Ismena's brows knitted, "A cougar? That is another word for mountain lion, right?"

"Yes. So, that is the way it goes. The Alpha King's sister is a werewolf."

Ismena doesn't know he has a sister. "Really? What about his sister? I've not heard of her before."

Eline's smile faltered, "She's...uhm...she's not around here for now, also we aren't allowed to discuss her."

"Oh..." Ismena cocked her head to the side, baffled. But she let it go, "What about the Alpha King? I think he's a werewolf too because the night he brought me here, we ran all the way here. He...he shifted into a larger form that closely resembles a wolf, covered in furs but it wasn't a complete wolf. He was still in two legs and..." She trailed off, not knowing the way to explain it better.

But Eline understood, "That is called a half-shift. He didn't become a wolf completely, instead, he allowed the wolf to come very close to the surface, enough for his features to change a bit, but not enough for the wolf to take over completely."

"Mmm... So, he's a werewolf?"

"I told you that he's extraordinary. He has two beastly forms. The first of its kind in a long time." She swiveled her head and her eyes met Ismena's, "He's a werewolf and a mountain lion."

Ismena blinked. Twice. Her eyes widened. "Two? Both of them?"

Eline nodded, "Our seers prophesied of his greatness even before he was born."

Hell, no wonder so much power and strength clung to him, Ismena thought in awe. The man is not one changeling but two. A shiver worked its way down her spine.

Suddenly, it finally makes sense, the thing with his eyes taking on three different colors. Blue, brownish-yellow, and green. "Woah! No wonder his eyes...!"